Unconscious
by Nyte5
Summary: Six of the samurai have survived the war with the Nobuseri while defending Kanna Village.      A year later, they are drawn together to fight a giant threat...and this time, they might not survive.  There is romance, but I'm not going to reveal that yet.
1. Chapter 1

**This happens after the war with the Nobuseri. Kikuchiyo, Heihachi and Kyuzo are healed of their injuries, and the six remaining samurai separate. When a bigger threat is on the horizon, they must come together again...with the seventh.**

**Enjoy, kay?**

**From POV of my character.**

I sat by the lake, toes skimming across the water. Sunlight reflected off the surface, throwing light on the surrounding trees. Birds chirped. Frogs croaked. I sighed. I came here every morning, by myself. I had no parents to lecture me; they were long gone. I lived in a small wooden house, right next to the beautiful lake. I lived in my house, all by myself. I got up, wiping my wet foot on the grass. I walked slowly towards my little house. On the way, I saw a figure, leaning against a tree. Curious, I tiptoed closer. Not many people came to this part of the forest. Most people took the main road to Kanna Village. I kneeled down by the man. He looked around 20. He was wearing a red coat, and had two swords strapped to his back. Looking closer, it's obvious he's unconscious. The most noticeable thing about him is his bright, blonde hair. There was a slash in his coat, and dried blood covered his sleeve. He's obviously injured. I ran home, propping the door open with an old bucket. I grabbed bandages, towels, and a clear, crystal bottle the size of my arm. I ran towards the unconscious man quickly. I unbuttoned his coat, exposing his black undershirt. I picked up a towel and coated it with the liquid from the bottle. It was a special medicine I made myself, from the plants with medicinal properties surrounding my house. I delicately dabbed the deep cut in his arm. I wiped the dried blood from his pale skin, cleaning it effectively. I held another towel to his wound, letting the medicine do its work. I treated his other wounds, the slash on his leg and the cuts on his face. I bandaged each wound carefully, making sure not to make his injuries worse. I wasn't strong enough to carry him back to my house without hurting him; he would have to stay here. I sat down in the grass, waiting for him to wake up. Any minute now. The man's eyes flashed open. He looked at me with red eyes. He snarled "I'll kill you,". He reached for his twin blades, gripping the hilt with pale hands.

"You're in no condition to kill me, samurai," I smirked. He scowled, a look of irritation on his handsome face.

"Your eyes...those eyes...what are you?" the man said. His low voice was barely audible. He did not sound scared, but many know how to hide fear behind a mask. I smirked again. People always stare at the eyes. They whisper in hushed voices. My eyes change colour depending on my surroundings and emotions. Right now, if I were to look in a mirror, they would be an amused gold. "Relax, samurai, I'm human," He stared, red eyes meeting gold.

"Who are you? Why did you help me?" he demanded to know. His voice was as low as ever, but there was a bossy undertone.

"My name is Mizuri, and I helped you because you looked stupid sitting under a tree bleeding to death," I answered truthfully.

He snarled. "I'll kill you," he repeated. "I'll kill you and your family!" I couldn't help but laugh at his threats. "My family's already dead," I stated matter-of-a-factly. His eyes widened, but he didn't say a word. He smirked slightly. "Then we have something in common," he said.

"Who are you?" I asked him.

"Kyuzo," he answered.

"What are you doing here, injured in the forest?"  
"What's it to you, little girl," he said.

"I'm not little!" I huffed, avoiding his red eyed stare. He smirked again. I was beginning to regret saving him. "I'm 18!"

"I was in a battle," he said, answering my previous question. "Against..."  
"...the Nobuseri," I finished his sentence quickly. "You were defending Kanna Village, weren't you?" He nodded yes with a slight tilt of his chin.

"Come on, let's go to my house," I pulled slightly at his arm. He grabbed his coat and followed me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Second Chapter**

**Enjoy, and review.**

**A year has passed since the first chapter, so Ch. 1 is more like a prologue.**

A year has passed since I discovered Kyuzo lying beneath a tree. In the past year, he has taught me everything I know. He is my best friend, and my only teacher. A brother. He crafted my first bow, passing it from his pale hands to my own. I watched as my arrow flew effortlessly through the air, piercing a nearby tree trunk. I watched his expression as he observed the arrow. He nodded approvingly. I smiled. "You have a talent, Mizuri," he said. "Don't let it go,". And I never have.

Kyuzo sat by his bed, staring outside the window. "So, Puffy, what's up for today?" I sat down next to him. He glared at me. I grinned. He sighed softly, and gave up. His pale hand ruffled my black wavy hair. "Stop that,". He knew I didn't really mind. "Don't call me Puffy," I saw the corner of his mouth twitch. It wasn't his trademark smirk. It was a rare smile, one I've only seen a few times. Considering I've lived with Kyuzo for a year, it's obvious he doesn't smile very often. I heard a loud banging on the door. "Oi, Kyuzo, it's Kikuchiyo! Open your damn door!" Kyuzo reached his hand for my arm.

"Don't,". But it was too late. I opened the door, only to see a large _machine _stomp its way into my house. "Kyuzo, you getting comfy, eh? Got yourself a girlfriend, I see," It points towards me. "Well, this is no time to be comfy! Haven't you heard?" Kyuzo sighed, exasperated.

"Mizuri is not my girlfriend. She is my student,". Kyuzo said. He faced me. "Mizuri, this is Kikuchiyo," He groaned when Kikuchiyo plonked himself on the floor, making a loud crash. "You haven't heard?"  
"I've made that clear already, no,"  
"That's why I had to come over here and tell you. Took me ages. Had to ask around for a guy with puffy hair," I snickered. I was beginning to like Kikuchiyo. Kyuzo shot me a death look. "Whether my hair is puffy or not is irrelevant," he huffed. Kikuchiyo laughed.

"Shichiroji's having a meeting. About Kanna Village," Kyuzo nodded calmly. I widened my eyes at him, letting him know that going was _not_ a good idea. "When do we leave,". Kikuchiyo grinned.

"Whenever you're ready, Kyuzo-_dono_," he said sarcastically. He faced me. "Mizuri, go pack," I nodded. I went to the closet and dug for the silver rucksack we always took on travel. I packed bandages, crystal bottles of medicine, and some rice balls. I tossed in some blankets for good measure. I reached for the amethyst bottle on the shelf, and hid it in the sleeve of my white kimono. I grabbed the rucksack and slung it across my shoulders. "Done!" I called. He stared at me.

"Ready, little girl?" he asked. I grinned. I was wearing a white, above-the-knee-length kimono. A red flower splashed against the white silk. I wore black silk tights and pointy black boots. With the purple bottle safely hidden in my sleeve. He shrugged on his usual red coat and black-and-red boots. "Okay, enough chit-chat, people, let's get on the road!" bellowed Kikuchiyo. He bounded out of the door, stomping down the wooden stairs. Kyuzo's hand covered his face in exasperation. I smiled at him and tugged his other sleeve. "Come on, Puffy. We gotta go," He let me drag him down the stairs. We caught up with Kikuchiyo, and slowed to a steady pace. Kyuzo went ahead as I chatted to Kikuchiyo.

"So, Kikuchiyo, what's this meeting about?" I asked. He turned his head to face me. "I dunno. Shichiroji and Kambei won't tell us until all six samurai are there,"

"Six?" I asked, puzzled. "There are seven samurai," Kikuchiyo hung his head.

"Gorebei went missing after the war," he said, frowning. "It's been impossible to track him down," I nodded understandingly.

"I'm going to go check on Kyuzo," I walked faster, feeling the wind against my tights. I finally caught up. "Kyuzo...why are we here?" I muttered. He avoided my intense gaze. "Because," he said, his low voice quiet. "Don't ask, Mizuri," I rested my palm on his shoulder. He didn't flinch. He was used to it by now. But he didn't allow anyone else to touch him but me. I figured that out pretty quickly after I found him. We've been travelling for a day already. The sky was darkening already. "We'd better stop," I say to Kyuzo. "Hey! Kikuchiyo! It's getting dark! We're stopping," I yelled.

"Okay, boss!" he yelled back. I shot him a cheeky grin. I found a cluster of trees. I pointed, and Kikuchiyo understood. I dumped my rucksack down and sank to the ground. "This should be okay," I said. I pulled Kyuzo down as well. "Kyuzo, get down here," He moaned but sat down. Kikuchiyo was rambling on about plans for tomorrow. But it was obvious we wouldn't follow them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Third Chapter, yay!**

**Thanks Kyuzo-sama, your review has motivated me to write more! :D You made me happy.**

**Thanks, guys. REVIEW, and follow Kyuzo-sama's awesome example.**

I took out the rice balls from my rucksack. "Here," I said. I handed them out, giving out two each. Kikuchiyo eyed the two rice balls in his palms sadly. I saw his hopeful look and tossed him one of mine. "Gee, thanks, Mizuri,". He gobbled up his rice balls, rice smeared all over his metal mouth. Kyuzo watched him, nose wrinkled in disgust. I glared at him. He shrugged, munching his own rice ball. I kicked his leg. He whimpered playfully. I grinned.

"So, what's going on with you two?" bellowed Kikuchiyo. I glared.

"Not so loud, Kikuchiyo. Do you _want_ people to find us?" I hissed.  
"I still wanna know,"  
"There's nothing between us!" I whisper-yelled.

"You think I didn't see your little exchange over there?"  
"Huh?"  
"Whatever you say, Mizuri," Kikuchiyo grinned.

"There is _nothing_ going on between me and Mizuri," Kyuzo interrupted. His quiet voice was heard, even with the screaming match between me and Kikuchiyo. I smiled. Kyuzo grabbed my rucksack. He dug through it. He pulled out the three red blankets I packed. He tossed one at Kikuchiyo, and one at me. He grabbed one for himself and went to another tree. "Great, now he's in a huffy mood," I whined. "Well, let's cheer him up, eh?" grinned Kikuchiyo. He started stomping over to Kyuzo's chosen tree. "No!" I grasped Kikuchiyo's metal arm. "Don't disturb him," I lead Kikuchiyo back to his own tree. "Goodnight,". I pulled my blanket over my head. I heard Kikuchiyo groan and complain for a bit. Then he finally shut up. I laughed softly under my blanket. That Kikuchiyo was a piece of work, all right. But then again, I looked after Kyuzo. And he's the one who makes death threats. I listened to the insects chirp in the darkness. Even though my blanket muffled the noise, I could still hear them. Why were they crying? Were they screaming? Were they calling for us?

The next morning, I woke up to Kikuchiyo's bellows. "Where's breakfast?" he yelled. I rubbed my eyes and stared. "Shut up, Kiku," I whined. I stretched. I got up and walked over to Kyuzo's tree. I shook his shoulders gently. "Hey, Puffy, get up," He stared at me with those red eyes. "Do you _want_ to die?" He asked. I grinned. Always the same. I made him stand up. He ran his fingers through his wild hair. "Hey, buddy," Kikuchiyo slapped him on the back. I giggled. I knew what was going to happen next. Kyuzo stared. Then he swung out his leg. I saw the boot meet the metal, and heard a loud _clink!_. "Owwwwwwwwwwww!" yelled Kikuchiyo. Kyuzo picked up his blanket calmly, and stuffed it into my rucksack. He lifted it with one hand, and tossed it to me. I caught it, and stuffed my own blanket and Kiku's blanket inside as well. I slung the heavy bag over my shoulder. Kyuzo started walking, and I followed him. He didn't need to say a word. "HEY GUYS! Waaaaiiiiiiiiiiitt!" bellowed Kikuchiyo. He was keeled over in pain from Kyuzo's swift kick. I smiled. We walked for hours, Kikuchiyo catching up eventually. We walked across the blistering hot desert. I sighed and wiped the sweat off my forehead with my burning palm. Kyuzo was slouched over, wearing his coat. "Kyuzo, take that coat off, it's too hot," I moaned.

"I'm fine," he said. I could hear how tired he was. Kikuchiyo didn't try to act macho. "Oh, man, it's so hot!" he whined. My boots crunched against the sand and rocks. Kikuchiyo stomped, crushing all of the rocks beneath his metal feet. Finally, we arrived at Firefly House. Sweat dripped down my cheek, and Kikuchiyo was so tired he stopped yelling. A blonde, older samurai stood at the steps.

"Ah, Kikuchiyo, you're back. What took you so long?" asked the man. He noticed me standing next to Kyuzo. "Hello, who are you?" He jumped down the steps and stood in front of me. "My name is Mizuri," The man smiled.

"You must be Kyuzo's girlfriend. Hi, I'm Shichiroji,"

"No, she's not my girlfriend," said Kyuzo. His tone was menacing. Shichiroji shook his head. "Oh, my mistake. Come on in,"

**Really short, I know. Review!**


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